Offa residents lament poor power supply

Residents and the business community in the ancient town of Offa, Kwara State, have called for urgent and decisive action to end epileptic power supply said to have crippled the town and its environs for decades.

The people said that the power distribution company in the area had subjected consumers to alleged estimated billing, resulting in heavy debts that households and businesses had been forced to bear.

In a statement signed by the president and secretary of the Ibolo Consumers Advocacy of Nigeria (ICAN), Engineer Tajudeen Iwalola and Shehu Olanrewaju, respectively, the Offa people said that despite several meetings held between ICAN, the power distribution company, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Offa Business Hub, and the Regional Office, no tangible solutions have been implemented.

“Meanwhile, the people of Offa continue to suffer economic stagnation and houses have been burnt as a result of frequent feeder instability that always leads to power surges. Federal, state, and NGO projects are also being frustrated by unreliable electricity supply”.

The people also said that there had been no infrastructural upgrade since take over over, 12 years ago by the IBEDC, to address decayed facilities serving the people.

“The situation has left more than 75% of electricity consumers in Offa with only between two to three hours of power supply daily, and in some cases, no supply at all — yet they are still forced to pay for darkness.

“In 2024 alone, over 25 transformers were vandalized due to poor power supply, forcing communities to spend more than ₦55 million from their pockets to repair and replace them. Despite these sacrifices, IBEDC has failed to provide any infrastructural support or replacement since taking over.

In addition to this burden, electricity consumers in Offa and its environs have been compelled to shoulder the responsibilities of IBEDC by purchasing essential materials such as poles, transformer oil, feeder pillar units, and lightning arrestors, just to mention a few.

“Worse still, the two obsolete 7.5MVA power transformers were installed in 1963 during the administration of the Sardauna of Sokoto, and are still being used to supply electricity to more than 75% of Offa and its environs. Alongside this, the 35mm undersized aluminium conductor wires spanning 22,500 meters are still in operation, carrying load to over 150 transformers under the Offa Business Hub. These undersized conductors have repeatedly snapped, causing blackouts and even claiming lives in the past. In 2024 and 2025 alone, twenty-eight (28) incidents of conductor snaps were recorded along Olofa Way and Popo Road, posing grave danger to lives and property.

“To make matters worse, two communities — Ramola community in Oyun local government and Liberation community in Offa local government — have been in total darkness for over a year due to vandalized transformers”.

The people also demanded for infrastructural upgrade across all feeders in Offa to a minimum of 12 hours daily supply, replacement of obsolete 7.5MVA transformers installed in 1963 with modern, higher-capacity equipment, as well as urgent replacement of undersized and obsolete 35mm aluminium conductor wires, which have become death traps.

“We call on the Federal Government, the Kwara State Government, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), civil society organizations, and all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene immediately before Offa is pushed deeper into darkness and more lives are endangered, while small and medium-scale businesses continue relocating to other towns”.

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